Abstract: Ultraviolet ray irradiation devices are attached to a carriage having a print head that ejects ultraviolet curable ink, and include a plurality of ultraviolet light sources and that irradiate ultraviolet rays onto an ink coating ejected on a print sheet by a print head. An ultraviolet ray that is irradiated onto the print sheet in the vicinity of the print head has a wavelength longer than an ultraviolet ray that is irradiated onto the print sheet apart from the vicinity of the print head along the moving direction of the carriage. The ultraviolet ray irradiation devices are capable of sufficiently curing ultraviolet curable ink without the problem of only the surface of the ink being cured in a print process (for example, a monochrome print process) when the ink coating adhered to the recording medium is relatively thick.

Abstract: An ink-jet head includes a channel unit which includes a plurality of pressure chambers, a vibration plate stacked on the channel unit, and a piezoelectric material layer arranged on the vibration plate. The piezoelectric material layer includes a first portion functioning as a piezoelectric actuator, and a second portion functioning as a piezoelectric transformer which amplifies a driving signal to be supplied to the piezoelectric actuator. Accordingly, it is possible to realize a small-size ink-jet head with a built-in piezoelectric amplifier.

Abstract: A printhead assembly for use as a page width printhead in a printing system includes a casing assembly for housing drive electronics. A printhead module is mounted in the casing. The printhead module includes a fluid channel member. Printhead tiles are carried by the fluid channel member, the printhead tiles having printhead integrated circuits incorporating printing nozzles.

Abstract: A light guide 3c of the printing shear detection sensor 3 is shaped so that the width of a side cross section when viewed in the conveying direction of a recording paper sheet P indicated by arrow B may be gradually smaller with an increasing degree of change from the top toward the bottom. The light emitted from the light emitting device 3a is incident on the light guide 3c from above, passes through the light guide 3c while being reflected on the side surface of the light guide 3c, is emitted toward the recording paper sheet P from the bottom of the light guide 3c, converged and projected on the recording paper sheet P as slit-like light. The light reflected on the recording paper sheet P is incident on the light receiving device 3b and thus, the printing shear detection pattern formed on the recording paper sheet P can be detected with high accuracy. The light guide 3c can be manufactured with using an inexpensive molding die at low costs, distinct from the conventional condenser lens.

Abstract: An inkjet printer that has a printhead and a plurality of printing fluid reservoirs, each of the printing fluid reservoirs storing a different type of printing fluid. A refill interface on the printer allows the printing fluid reservoirs to be refilled by docking with a range of refill dispensers. Each of the refill dispensers in the range contains one of the types of printing fluid stored in one of the printing fluid reservoirs. The docking interface has docking formations for engagement with complementary formations on each of the refill dispensers in the range respectively such that the refill interface can dock with only one of the refill dispensers at any one time.

Abstract: A printer system is provided for developing a three dimensional (3D) printed structure. The system includes a plurality of spaced apart sets of printing devices. A conveyor system is arranged to serially convey a print medium in register with each set so that printed voxels from each successive set can form successive layers of the 3D printed structure upon the print medium. A placement mechanism is configured to place an object upon layers of the 3D printed structure.

Abstract: The ultraviolet ray irradiation devices are attached to a carriage having a print head that ejects the ultraviolet curable ink, and include a plurality of ultraviolet light sources that irradiate ultraviolet rays onto ink coating ejected on a print sheet by the print head. An ultraviolet ray of the ultraviolet light source that irradiates the ultraviolet ray onto the print sheet in the vicinity of the print head has a wavelength shorter than an ultraviolet ray of the ultraviolet light source that irradiates the ultraviolet ray onto the print sheet apart from the vicinity of the print head along the moving direction of the carriage. The ultraviolet ray irradiation device is capable of sufficiently curing a plurality of ultraviolet curable ink adhered on a recording medium without incurring a problem of blurring or color mixing for a multiple-color printing process such as a full-color printing process.

Abstract: There are provided an ejection actuator that ejects ink from a nozzle, and a driver chip that supplies a signal for driving the ejection actuator. In a first location, the driver chip is sandwiched between a flat plate member and an elastic member. The elastic member biases the driver chip to the flat plate member. The elastic member is supported by the support member. A restricting portion is provided on at least either one of the support member and the flat plate member. When the support member and the flat plate member get close to each other in a second location different from the first location, the restricting portion restricts movement of at least either one of the support member and the flat plate member so as to prevent the driver chip and the support member in the first location from getting closer to each other beyond a minimum distance.

Abstract: In an ink jet recording head including a flexible wiring board, the flexible wiring board has a thickness reduction part formed by reducing a film thickness of a part of the base film. The thickness reduction part is configured to alleviate stress applied to inner leads by a base film in the periphery of a device hole, so as to avoid the failure of bonding or the like caused by the inner leads of the flexible wiring board, on which a recording element substrate is installed.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus, comprises: a plurality of ejection heads which eject liquid containing, a first ultraviolet curing initiator having spectral absorption characteristics at least in a first wavelength range, a second ultraviolet curing initiator which has spectral absorption characteristics at least in a second wavelength range being on a shorter wavelength side from the first wavelength range and has no spectral absorption characteristics in the first wavelength range, an ultraviolet-polymerizable compound, and a coloring material, onto a medium; a semi-curing device which radiates, at least once, ultraviolet light having at least a wavelength which is in the first wavelength range and which is on a longer wavelength side from the second wavelength range, onto dots formed by the liquid ejected from the ejection heads onto the medium; an intermediate processing device which performs intermediate processing of an image formed on the medium by the dots; and a main curing device which radiates ultravi

Abstract: An image recording apparatus has a recording head for recording an image on a recording medium, an ink supply source for supplying an ink to the recording head through an ink tube, a carriage for mounting the recording head thereon reciprocating in a primary scanning direction, and first and second guide members for supporting the carriage thereacross and guiding reciprocating movement of the carriage. The apparatus includes a scale provided on the second guide member along the primary scanning direction, a detector provided on the carriage for detecting a reciprocating position of the carriage in corporation with the scale, and a partition disposed in the vicinity of the scale for separating at least a part of the ink tube from the scale.

Abstract: In a tonerless imaging process, an inked image layer jetted on an image receptor is simultaneously transferred and fused to a recording medium. A radiation-curable material is incorporated in the image layer such that irradiation of the image layer cures the radiation-curable material therein. An ink jet printing apparatus for performing the above process is also disclosed.

Abstract: An ink jet device selectively ejects droplets of non-marking liquid ink into cells of a printing member in a desired latent negative image pattern. Certain cells of the printing member are filled with pigmented ink to create a desired image. An electrical bias is applied for fractionating pigment in the pigmented ink from liquid and transferring an image-wise pigmented ink pattern from the printing member to a receiving member, leaving behind a substantial portion of liquid. The receiver can be an intermediate member whereby the image-wise ink pattern is transferred from the intermediate member to a final receiver, while such receiver is in operative association with said intermediate member.

Abstract: An exposure device for a non-impact printing apparatus which includes a plurality of light-emitting elements for forming images, a driver element for individually applying energy output levels to the light-emitting elements, lens for focusing the light emitted by the light-emitting elements, storage ability for storing a list of setting values for setting the energy output levels, wherein the list includes a plurality of series of setting values, each one of the series enabling to attribute at least one setting value to each one of the light-emitting elements, each one of the series being selectable as a function of an exposure device condition. A method is also provided for adjusting a non-impact printing apparatus which includes the step of selecting the most adequate series of setting values on the basis of an analysis of the optical density of printed images on a receiving medium.

Abstract: Various embodiments of a printing device fluid reservoir with alignment features and various embodiments of a printing device fluid reservoir chassis with alignment features are disclosed. According to some aspects of these embodiments, the alignment features are grouped together near an ultimate connection point between a fluid reservoir and a chassis to increase design freedom on other regions of the fluid reservoir/chassis. Other aspects of these embodiments include specially designed and located alignment features of a fluid reservoir that engage specially designed and located alignment features of a chassis in sequence throughout the process of inserting the fluid reservoir into the chassis in order to facilitate simple and effective engagement.

Abstract: A liquid droplet ejection head that ejects liquid droplets through deformation of a driven element, includes: a first substrate having a pressurizing chamber with a nozzle aperture that ejects liquid droplets, and a first surface on which is formed a first wiring electrically connected to the drive element; a second substrate disposed on the first surface of the first substrate and covering the driven element, the second substrate having a second surface and a side surface, the second surface facing in a same direction as the first surface of the first substrate and on which is formed a second wiring, the side surface on which is formed a third wiring that combines the first wiring and the second wiring; a semiconductor element disposed on the second surface of the second substrate, and which drives the driven element; and plating that electrically connects the first wiring, the second wiring, the third wiring, and a connection terminal of the semiconductor element.

Abstract: The unjamming process is conducted through an opening formed on a lateral side of a housing of the printer. A recording medium conveying unit of the printer does not get exposed to outside. The printer also inhibits inaccurate ejection of ink from recording heads because of the unjamming process. For the unjamming process, the recording medium conveying unit is moved away from head surfaces. This constitution prevents vibration or shock on the recording heads when a recording paper is removed, prevents breakage of menisci formed on respective nozzles of the recording heads, and furthermore prevents ink from being pushed outside of the nozzles, or inhaled toward an ink tank because positional relation between the recording heads and the ink tank does not change. Therefore, inaccurate control over ejection of ink can be inhibited.

Abstract: An improved handheld printer includes projectors to project images of the various page content that remains to be printed on the page. By providing this visual indication of locations of the page that remain to be printed, the projectors assist the user in achieving full coverage of the page when moving the handheld printer across the page. The projectors emit a narrow beam of light that can be rapidly scanned, with the assistance of micromirror-based optics, over points composing an area on the page to create a visual image to guide the user along the page. The projectors can be used to project an actual image of the page content to be printed. Alternatively, the projectors can project signals or other meaningful information onto the page that provide instructions to the user or point the user towards void areas that have been missed.

Abstract: In transfer of even pixel data, focusing on even-number data, only the even data is selected out of eight pixels of image data read out from a storage circuit and transferred to an LED head in a unit of four bits. Four pixel data are simply selected out of eight pixels without performing one-pixel conversion. In transfer of odd pixel data, focusing on odd data, when data is “0”, “0” is directly transferred. When data is “1”, if the previous pixel data is “1”, “1” is directly transferred, and if the previous pixel data is “0”, data is converted into “0” to be transferred.

Abstract: In an ink supply system for connecting with an ink container with a hollow communicating tube provided in the ink container, in order to prevent leakage of the ink from the communicating tube and simultaneously to prevent damage of the communicating tube projected from the ink container, the communicating tube 60 is made movable to be projected from the inside of the ink container and to be inserted into a recording head, thus establishing liquid communication between the inside of the ink container and the inside of the recording head.